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How could a UK points-based immigration system work? How could a UK points-based immigration system work?
(7 months later)
Boris Johnson, one of the candidates to replace Theresa May as Conservative Party leader and prime minister, has been talking about his plans for immigration. Once the UK leaves the European Union (EU), a new immigration system will be introduced to replace the EU's freedom of movement rule. The government favours a "points-based system" which can take different factors like skills and language into account when awarding visas.
"What I would like to do is get the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to look really properly at the Australian-style points-based system," he said. Taking control of immigration was one of the key themes of the Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum.
The MAC is an independent body that advises the government. What's the UK system now?
The Vote Leave campaign in the EU referendum, of which Mr Johnson was a leading supporter, backed an Australian-style system. The Reality Check team wrote about this at the time. It was also proposed by Ukip at the 2017 election.
Taking control of immigration was one of the key themes of the Leave campaign, while governments since 2010 have been committed to reducing net migration (that is the difference between people coming to the UK and leaving the UK) to below 100,000 a year - a target which has been missed repeatedly.
What is the Australian system?
People who want to move to Australia to work generally need to be pursuing an occupation that is in demand (there are different visas for students or working holidays, for example).
Applicants are assigned points based on a number of professional and personal characteristics, with higher points awarded for more desirable traits.
This can range from the amount of time they have worked in a skilled sector, education level, age, and proficiency in the English language.
Being a competent English speaker is the minimum requirement but someone with "superior English" will earn 20 points.
Being aged between 25 and 33 years old will get you 30 points. The threshold for eligibility is 65 points.
How is it different to the UK system?
Currently, those from within the EU do not need a visa to work in the UK because they benefit from "freedom of movement" - although there are limits on claiming certain benefits.Currently, those from within the EU do not need a visa to work in the UK because they benefit from "freedom of movement" - although there are limits on claiming certain benefits.
For those from outside the EU, there are similarities to the Australian system. For those from outside the EU, there is a system in place based on points.
Points are awarded for having English language skills, being sponsored by a company and meeting a salary threshold. Points-based immigration systems assign points for specific skills, salaries or professions. Visas are awarded to people who gain enough points to take them above a certain threshold.
In the UK these points are awarded for having English language skills, being sponsored by a company and meeting a salary threshold.
A maximum number of work visas are awarded - the cap is set at around 21,000 a year but isn't often met.A maximum number of work visas are awarded - the cap is set at around 21,000 a year but isn't often met.
Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at University of Oxford, told Reality Check: "There is only one way you can get in and that's if you meet all of those criteria." There are four "tiers" of visa assessed on points. There are a few other types of visa available, with different rules, for example family visas for the spouses and relatives of people coming on work visas.
The four visas are for:
Why do people keep talking about Australia?
Australia is the country often given as an example by politicians, although Canada and New Zealand also have points-based systems.
They have a lot of similarities to the system the UK uses for non-EU migrants, although each system awards different numbers of points for different things.
In these kinds of systems, "there is only one way you can get in and that's if you meet all of those criteria," according to Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at University of Oxford.
"What the UK points system doesn't do is assess the individuals for things like their age and qualifications. The UK system trusts the employer to decide whether the person is qualified to do the job, while the Australian system is more centrally planned.""What the UK points system doesn't do is assess the individuals for things like their age and qualifications. The UK system trusts the employer to decide whether the person is qualified to do the job, while the Australian system is more centrally planned."
We also do not have the sort of decentralised system they have in Australia, in which different states may try to attract migrants with particular skills. Nicola Sturgeon's Scottish government is keen to introduce this sort of devolution. The UK also does not have the same sort of decentralised system as Australia, in which different states may try to attract migrants with particular skills. Scotland is keen to introduce this sort of devolution and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon unveiled proposals for a Scottish visa to address skills gaps and "long-term demographic change" on 27 January 2020.
What details are missing? And in Australia, being aged between 25 and 33 years old will get you 30 points - almost halfway to the eligibility threshold of 65 points.
It is not clear what aspects of the Australian system Mr Johnson is keen to adopt - he says he would ask the MAC to look into it. What do we know about the UK's system after Brexit?
He has also not specified what his policies would be for people wanting to come for other reasons such as studying or those wanting to join family members already living in the UK. The government's expert advisors, the Migration Advisory Committee, have recommended that the minimum salary for the admittance of a skilled worker from anywhere in the world, including EU nations, should be £25,600 - down from the current £30,000 for non-EU migrants.
Current government policy is that, after Brexit, skilled workers with a minimum salary of £30,000 will need to be sponsored by an employer. They will be able to bring dependants with them and there will be no cap on their numbers. The last government set out plans for a post-Brexit immigration system in which skilled EU workers with a minimum salary of £30,000 would need to be sponsored by an employer. They would be able to bring dependants with them and there would be no cap on their numbers.
There would also be a scheme for lower-skilled workers to come to the UK, but their visas would be limited to 12 months. A scheme for lower-skilled workers to come to the UK, on visas limited to 12 months, was also planned.
This government has yet to announce the final shape of the future immigration system, and pass it into law.
Boris Johnson has already announced a "global talent" visa which will replace the current "exceptional talent" route, but removing the cap on numbers. Currently there are 2,000 of these visas available a year and the cap is rarely reached.
The government will consider recommendations from the Migration Advisory Committee published on 28 January.
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